Showreel

Hello. Welcome to another showreel. Why don't we make this one special? Grab some pizza, maybe a Coke, sit back, put those feet up (It's only for two minutes, I'm sure no one will mind), and crank that volume! Now you're ready to watch as my latest showcase of animations, illustrations, and charismatic characters take over your screen.

Our digital team at Watermark worked closely with Rush Digital and ASB to create these interactive experiences at Starship Children’s Hospital, to help make the waiting experience a better one for both kids and their parents/carers.

The interactive technology spaces aimed at calming patients and familiarising them with the tests and procedures they may face at the hospital.

The Starship Animal Check Ups wall features several different stations where 2D animated animal doctors encourage children to test things such as their heart rate and temperature.

The feature uses depth sensors, heat and heart rate sensors and facial recognition with animals mimicking the movements of those standing in front of them.

Sensors were also used to detect distance - when no one was nearby, the animals would go to sleep, waking up when someone walked past. Facial movements including smiling were also tracked.

Another interactive area, The Magic Forest, features a forest scene that creates a calming space for children, with virtual birds, flowers and seedlings spawning when visitors were quiet and moved slowly.

With the KPI for the project being the amount of smiles it generates, there is no question that this project was an absolute pleasure to work on. It is a fantastic feeling to know that by using skills and knowledge of art, animation, and overall creative thinking can be beneficial to others.

Watermark was approached by Catstone to work with them and Black Sheep in creating a new brand rollout for the New Zealand REACH programme.

The project would include developing a new identity, website, updated supporting collateral and an animation that would help convey the idea of what REACH is.

REACH is a programme which aims to help people who are finding it difficult to re-enter the workforce after having been on an injury or sickness benefit. It collaborates with Work & Income New Zealand and the Waikato District Health Board to coach and heal clients over a 12 week period, with the intention of not just helping them find a job placement, but to first address other areas of their lives that could have barriers for them developing to their full potential.

Apart from being a very interesting and fun project to work on, the knowledge that the work we create could possibly help someone was a massive motivation as well.

We were tasked with designing and creating an educational application for smartphones and tablets that teaches children about dog safety.

In New Zealand there are over 9,900 dog bites a year, with the most likely victims being children aged 5-9. Over 75% of these incidents happen in the home environment, with a dog that is known to the child.

A lot of these incidents happen due to a lack of education around dog safety. However it's the dog that is often blamed and in most cases put down.

Created in partnership with dog behaviourists and the Auckland City Council, A Dog’s Story™ is an interactive adventure that teaches children dog safety and how to read dog behaviour.

Skip!

Client: Skip | Intercity NZAgency: Gunroom Auckland

To promote the launch of Skip Bus, a ‘cheaper, faster, funner’ way of getting around New Zealand’s North Island, I was approached by Intercity to create a range of skipping characters that would embody the brand’s playful identity.

I had a lot of fun illustrating these weird little creatures with horns and ears and the cheesiest and cutest of grins, and was given a lot of creative freedom, which made this a great project to work on. I was pretty stoked when the bunny unicorn pooping eggs was signed off 😁.

In order to stick to the budget we were working with, I created a system that allowed me to use parts from different characters to create new ones, allowing the animations to stay mostly the same, with some bespoke moments for a few.

The animations can be seen on TV and Skip Bus social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook, as well as billboards across the North Island.

Penny The Penguin

Penny the Penguin is a fun and interactive digital storybook, designed to help kindergarten children aged three to five understand the difference between needs and wants.

Our main character Penny is a friendly blue penguin, or kororā, which is native to New Zealand.

The story follows Penny, a keen sailor, as she tries to fix her broken boat.

With only four stars to trade for supplies, Penny will need to make good decisions in order to get what she needs.

While using the app, children will be prompted to guide Penny through her decision making. If they make a mistake, the app gently points them in the right direction, helping them think carefully about their choices. By joining Penny on her journey, children will actively learn the difference between a need and a want and the great outcomes that can be achieved through making good choices.

Code Ninja

" In 15 years, we’ll be teaching programming just like reading and writing, and wondering why we didn’t do it sooner. "

— Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder

A small, cozy, yellow-walled classroom in Singapore, Code Ninja teaches kids to code as an extension of their educational curriculum, with the aim to equip them with the skills to thrive in this exciting technology-powered world.

My journey with with Code Ninja began when I was approached to create a logo for this small startup school with an awesome mission. I supported the cause and was on board from the get go.

The logo had to include a friendly ninja character, represent the school as a fun environment, and stand out enough to attract passers by.

From there I worked with the client to develop a series of characters that extended the brand, and represented the five levels of learning that students go through in the curriculum, from beginner to pro... And that's how Tiny, Dash, Colossus, and Sage came about, whilst Ace was developed from the logo into the brand's primary character, and the greatest level of achievement for any Code Ninja student.

The project grew and I had the privilege of working on a variety of collateral for the brand, including a bright and energetic storefront decal, re-designing the website, creating posters, and short comics.

It has been an absolute pleasure to work with this brand, and I can't wait to see what comes next for Code Ninja !

The Story of Santa’s Star regales the adventure of Elf, Reindeer, Angel and Mouse as they embark upon an epic mission to help Santa find his way to Australia and save Christmas.

Watermark was approached by Roam to work with them in developing a beautifully crafted children’s app for Clemenger BBDO Melbourne.

Clemenger have developed the characters and world over the last few years with animation giants Aardman Animations (the creators of Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Gromit). The characters have been sculpted by hand and filmed frame by frame in stop-motion films for the Myer Christmas campaigns.

In addition to the incredible commercials that Aardman produced, the roll-out for 2016 included the launch of a companion storybook app.

EndUser Characters

I was approached to create a variety of characters for EndUser, that represent some of the archetypes you will usually find at tech companies such as UI and UX designers, project managers and developers - but with a twist 😉.​​​​​​​

A main header image for the website was also part of this project, to be illustrated in the same graphic style as the characters.

Credits:Client: EndUserArtwork: Shannon Jahnel Lanktree

TradeMe Property

Series of animations for TradeMe Property. The first four were done to represent the vast amount of people that use their services to buy, sell, list, advertise, and rent properties online, whilst the other two spots were created to celebrate TradeMe Property's 10 years of helping kiwis find homes to fall in love with.

TV

This project features a compilation of some of the work I did for Mediaworks, one of New Zealand's largest television, radio and interactive media companies.

The videos on this page include a short collection of television work, branding and animations for Scout, some Halloween themed end-packs for channel FOUR, and a compilation of promos for the 2015 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

ServSafe: Ninja Warrior

We were approached by the The National Restaurant Association to create a game which would help to raise awareness about food hygiene and safety, and promote high cleanliness standards.

And that's how Ninja Warrior was born! This little Facebook game is a challenge that takes your culinary skills to a knife edge, that only the most seasoned masters can handle! It tests players knowledge on food hygiene and safety in the restaurant kitchen, taking them on an quirky adventure through a variety of wacky and wonderful worlds inhabited by dangerous delectables and kitchen utensils.

I worked with Huia Publishers to design these educational graphic novels aimed at high school aged boys as a way of raising their interest in reading.

Arohanui, the original graphic novel, tells the story of two hostile tribes: one thriving, the other starving and forced to enter into a hard bargain to survive. In the midst of the conflict, two lovers from opposing tribes, Kahu and Kuratawhiti, plan to bring their warring tribes together through their marriage. But tragedy looms as Kahu defends his beloved Kuratawhiti against his treasured sister, Mira, who unleashes a lifetime of rage on Kuratawhiti and her people.

The graphic novels Meariki and The Nameless One are prequels to Arohanui, and all three were published in both English and Maori.

Pihi is a series of picture book with no text. Published by Huia Publishers, these 'wordless' books are intended for children to explore without fear of error, allowing them to interpret stories in their own way, instigating conversations and discussions, and teaching skills such as sequencing and predicting outcomes.

As well as designing the books, I also designed the logo and illustrated the books Te Mara Kai a Koro and Ki Te Hoe